Hand writing-board.



No. 769,293. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

0. J. BELLAMY.

HAND WRITING BOARD. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

amwwfoz PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904 C. J. BELLAMY.

HAND WRITING BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

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. UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

HAND WRITING-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,293, dated September 6, 1904.

Application filed July 2 L, 1903. Serial No. 166,881. (No model.)

To all whom, zit-may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES J. BELLAMY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Hand VVriting-Board,

' of which the following is a specification.

forth; and the objects of my improvement are, first,- to provide means in a handwriting-board for making a copy of the original Writing; second, to provide a suitable detachable copying device or platen and a superimposable noncopying platen, with simple and convenient means for holding either of these members so it can be removed; third, to afford adequate means for positioning and handling paper in proper relation to the writing-surface of the board, and, fourth, to furnish a practicable and efiicient hand writing-board which possesses the necessary facilities and advantages and is simple in construction and operation, inexpensive, and durable.

I attain these objects by the means illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a right-hand side view of my hand writing-board, showing the paper in posit-ion ready for operation; Fig. 2, a longitudinal vertical section through said board; Fig. 3, an isometric view of the non-copying platen, detached; Fig. 4:, a top view of the board, the paper not being shown, as in the first two views; and Fig. 5, a detached sectional view showing the non-copying'platen in position.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Although a two-strip roll of paper is described as being used in connection with the board. shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that when no duplicate of the written matter is required a single-strip roll will be employed. It is obvious, too, that the roll may be suspended at some convenient place be provided, but that in the drawings consists of side pieces 1 1,. connected by cross-pieces 2 and 3,'a hand-rest 4, having side pieces 5 5, 5 which are supported by the side pieces 1, and

a writing-bed 6, located back of the rest 4. between the side pieces 5, a slot 7 1 being left between adjacent edges of said rest and bed. The upper surface of the rest 4. and, that of 7 the portion of the bed 6 which is close to the slot 7 are on the same or an approximately similar oblique plane; but the back top portion or seat 8 of said bed is on a plane ap-' proaching to or quite horizontal, forming an obtuse angle with the front portion of the bed,

and'such seat is depressed below the horizontal line of the high ridge or edge a of the elevated part of the bed. The seat 8 is designed to receive the platens on which the writing is done. The front edge of the bed-that is the edge which forms the rear side of the slot 7 --is rounded, so as to afford a suitable bearing for the paper in its passage through said slot. A guide-plate 9 between the sides 1 ex- 5. tends from a position adjacent the actuatingrollers below the bed 6 to the slot 7 and serves to direct the lower reaches of paper from said rollers to said slot.

By preference two platens 10 and 11 are 9 used with this board, the detachable copyingplaten 11 coming first on the seat 8 of the bed 6 and being designed to be kept'in place by screws I) b, passing through said platen near I its ends into said bed, or other suitable means until it requires renewing or reinking, when said screws are removed and the platen taken from the board to be remked and then returned to place or to have a new one substituted therefor. This copying-platen may be made of all copying material, or of wood, metal, pasteboard, or other suitable material coated with pigment for copying purposes. When no copy is desired, it is designed to slip the non-copying platen 10 into place above the copying-platen 11, thus covering the surface of the latter and elevating the writingplane, so that the paper as drawn rearward by the rollers passes smoothly over said platen 10 and in rubbing contact therewith. In this manner an excellent writing-surface is furnished. It will be understood from the foregoing and by reference to Fig. 2 that the copying-platen does not bring the level of the actual writing-surface up to the paper, but that the latter is pressed down against such surface or the top of the platen 11 by the pen or pencil of the operator in the act of writing. At all other times the paper bears only on the edge a and clears the copying-platen, being thus held by rollers presently to be described. This provision entirely does away with any liability to soil the under side of the paperby contact with the copying-platen or blur the copy thereon.

As a convenient" means for holding the platen 10 in place on the platen 11 I provide pins c in the frame at the joints or junctions between the sides and the bed 6 and notch the ends of the platen, as shown at (Z (Z in Fig. 3, the members being so arranged that such notched portions will fit around the parts of the pins which extend above the platen 11 and project inside of the sides 5 when the platen 10 is in position. Of course the ends of the platen 11 must also be fitted around the pins 0. Any other suitable device or devices for retaining the platen 10 in place may be substituted for the pins.

Standards 12 12 rise from the sides 1 back of the side pieces 5 to furnish bearings for the shaft 13 of two marginal rollers 14:. The shaft 15 of the roller 16 is journaled below the shaft 13. A large roller 17, which may be covered with rubber or other suitable material, has a shaft 18, to the terminals of which the forward ends of springs 19 19 are attached, the rear ends of said springs being attached to pins 20 20, extending laterally from the sides 1, and these springs draw the roller 17 into contact with or toward the rollers 14: and 16. The rollers 14:- bear only on the margins of the paper, so as to obviate blotting or blurring whatever may be written thereon and assist the rollers 16 and 17 in actuating the paper in either direction. \Vhen it is desired to dispense with the use of a roll of paper, the lower roller 16 of the series may be omitted, in which case also the slot 7 would not be used, but sheets of paper would be pushed directly from the hand-rest 4 over the platen and into the bite of the remaining rollers. Again, in'case it is desired to use a roll for the copy-strip only and to use detached sheets for the original the latter would be separately pushed along the hand-rest, superimposing them upon the copy-strip led up through the slot and catching their forward ends in the bite of the rollers 17 and 14:, the lower roller being preferably kept in the series tocontrol the tension and forward feed of the lower reach of the copy-strip.

Fixed bearings 21 21 in front of the standards 12 may be provided to receive the terminals of the shaft 18 when it is desired to draw forward the roller 17 against the resiliency of the springs 19 for the purpose of clearing the passage between the rollers either for the introduction of the paper or for the adjustment of the same. Such forward position of the roller 17 is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. If the paper does not draw evenly over the platen 11, (or 10,) the tension on said paper can be relieved at either side or both sides by slightly pulling out the roller 17 without setting its shaft in either one of its bearings 21.

A tension device for the paper is provided back of the standards 12, and consists of a bar 22, extending from one side piece 1 to the other, and a rod 23, having its trunnions 2 1; 24, resting upon supports 25 25, rising from said side pieces, springs 26 26 between said trunnions and pins 27 27, projecting from opposite ends of said bar, tensioning said rod toward the bar. This bar and red are so located that a strip or strips of paper on its or their way to the actuating-rollers of the device must pass partly around the front curred face 22' of said bar and partly around said rod between the two in such direction that the rod will resist the pull of the paper.

Holders 28 are firmly mounted upon the tops of the side pieces 1 at the back for the shaft 29 of a two-strip paper-roll 31), said shaft being held in place by pins 31 31. .laper strips 32 and 33 from the roll are lead forward, under, and partly around the curved face 22 of the bar 22 and partly around and over the rod or roller 23, thence between the rollers 16 and 17 to the slot 7, the plate .1 serving to direct the paper to said slot, and finally backward over the bed 6 above the platen 11 to the rollers 17 and 114, from between which said strips emerge back of the roller 14.

In the present instance 1 use the roller '17 as the primary actuating or feed roller, applying a knob 34 to its left-hand end for convenience in operating the mechanism. By

turning the knob 3 1 so as to revolve the roller 17 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1 the upper reaches of the strips 32 and 32-) will be actuated backward by reason of the contact of the rollers 16 and 17 with the lower reaches of said strips and the contact of the to pile up between therollers 16 and 17 and the tension device, from which position it' may be either drawn forward again for writing purposes or'rewound upon the roll 30.

.The hand holding the pen or pencil rests upon I the part a, and the writing is done on the platen 11, (or 10,) the upper reaches of paper being actuated rearward after one line or more has been written and copied (when a copy is also required) to bring fresh portions ofpaper into position forwriting. When no copy is desired, the platen 10 is pushed.

down over the platen 11 inthe manner already explained, and a single strip of. paper is drawn over it, upon which the writing is done. The platen 10 both protects the paper from the platen 11 and affords an efficient support for said paper when written upon. I

In this device when two strips are used the copy appears on the inside of the strip 33, while the original matter is on the outside of the strip 32. The strip 33 should beof translucent or transparent paper, through which impressions transferred by the platen 11 may be easily read from the opposite side to that on which they are actually made.

In the event that a device is to be constructed with which it is not intended ever to make a copy no special platens need be provided and the bed 6 would be made without the depressed seat 8; but the angular rela tion of the back portion of the top of said bed to the top of that portion which becomes the platen or rest for the paper would be preferably maintained, a as hereinafter explained. In other words, such back portion would follow the line of the paper when stretched between the edge a and the top of the roller 17, while the top of the device in front of said edge would drop downward therefrom. This angularity of parts under all circumstances, it is believed, enables me to get the best results in feeding and writing. It must, however, be understood thatit is not by any means an absolute essential of my invention that the plane of the rear portion of the writing-bed make an exterior obtuse angle "with that of the front portion thereof, al-

though for several reasons, which will prob,

ably be obvious without amplification, such an arrangement is preferred. For instance,

- the bed might be laid on the same pitch as ,that of the hand-rest or even steeper, so steep,

indeed, that the strip of paper in passing from the slot to the top of the supporting and ac- I tuating roller would not touch the top surface quire a higher frame and .more elevated rollers, while furnishing, it is believed, a less easy and natural plane for the pen or pencil point in the process of hand-writing. I will note in passing another of the alternative constructions which I regard as less desirable than the one I show-to wit, an arrangement strip of paper from its bearing edge must be depressed below the plane of said strip. 1

If it is intended always to take a copy, of

, course the platen 10 and its fastening or hold ing means may beomitted. Although have shown a complete and thoroughly-operative embodiment of my in- In this ar- '80 of thebed correspondingtothe course of said vention, it is clear that various changes of minor importance may be made in the construction and arrangement of some or all of. its parts without departing from the nature of the invention, and I wish it to be particularly understood that any suitable means for holding and actuating the paper other than those herein shown and described may be employed, and, furthermore, that I do not abandon thespecific holding and actuating means aforesaid by failing to claim the same herein, but that such device or devices are included in my application for Letters Patent of the United States which forms a divisional part of this application.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a hand writingboard provided with a bearing edge to support a strip of paper and having a copyingplaten positioned with its copying-surface a space removed from the .adjacentsurface of said strip-of paper drawn from said bearing edge substantially parallel with the plane of said platen, of means to so support the paper strip. 2. The combination, with a hand writingboard provided with a bearing edge to support a strip of paper, of a detachable copying-platen positioned with its copying-surface aspace removed from the adjacent surface of said strip of paper drawn from said bearing edge substantially parallel with the plane of said platen, means to sosupport the paper strip, and means to support and positiontlie platen 3. ,In a hand writing-board, means for holding a strip of paper, a bed provided with a copying-platen positioned with its copying- 4. In a hand writing-board, a bed having a raised edge at the upper front portion, and a copying-platen with its copying-surface a space removed from the adjacent surface of a strip of paper drawn from the raised edge of said bed across said platen on a plane parallel therewith.

5. In a hand Writing-board, a writing-bed having a portion which forms a seat for a copying-platen, said seat being lower than the portion of the bed toward the operator so that a copying-platen supported thereby is located with its copying-surface a space below the bottom surface of a strip of paper running parallel with the plane of said seat, and means for supporting the paper strip in contact with the raised portion of the bed in such parallel relation to the seat.

6. In a hand writing-board, the combination with a writing-bed having an oblique plane at the front and having the rear portion of its upper surface depressed below such plane of the front portion of its upper surface, the planes of such surfaces forming an obtuse angle, of a copying-platen adapted to be received in said depressed portion of the bed.

7. In a hand writing-board, the combination with a frame provided with a slotted top and a bearing edge to support astrip of paper, of

a copyingplaten depressed a space below a line drawn from said bearing edge across and parallel with the plane of said platen.

8. The combination,in a hand \vriting-board, with a frame consisting in part of a writingbed, of paper-feed rollers connected with said frame, one of said rollers and the front portion of said bed being arranged and adapted to support a strip of paper, and a eopying-platen on the bed depressed below the plane of said strip as it crosses the bed.

9. The eombination,in a hand writing-board, of a frame having a transversely-slotted top, a writing-bed back of the slot, a copyingplaten depressed in said bed a space removed from the plane of a strip of paper drawn across said bed and parallel with the plane thereof, and a series of paper-feed rollers consisting in part of marginal rollers of such length as to bear on the margins only of the actuated strip.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES J. BELLAMY. 

